Canadian Parliament Passes Anaphylaxis Motion

A motion to recognize anaphylaxis as a serious health concern received unanimous, all-party support in a vote in the Canadian House of Commons on May 22.

Back in April, Conservative MP Dean Allison (Niagara West-Glanbrook) first introduced the motion, which reads as follows:

That, in the opinion of the House, anaphylaxis is a serious concern for an increasing number of Canadians and the government should take the appropriate measures necessary to ensure these Canadians are able to maintain a high quality of life.

“Much thought went into the wording of the motion,” said Cindy Paskey of the Canadian Anaphylaxis Initiative, a network whose aim is to raise anaphylaxis awareness on a federal level. “Our first priority was to ensure its approach was positive and non-partisan, and thereby be able to achieve all-party support,” said Paskey, whose organization worked closely with Allison.

In putting forward the motion, Allison said: “With more awareness, Canadians will become familiar with the risk of anaphylaxis and will hopefully take precautions to limit accidental exposure for those who may be vulnerable. This, in turn, will create a safer environment for everyone.”

While motions are not in themselves legally binding, Paskey says the idea here was to set a precedent. “This is significant because, with the passage of the motion, the Parliament of Canada will be on record as calling for increased awareness for issues involving anaphylaxis,” she said.